March 1, 1940
"Unlike King Louis XVI, Napoleon Bonaparte was the right leader at the right time. France had just gone through a bloody revolution, and the country was struggling to get back on its feet. Napoleon was a charismatic individual that promised to be both a strong and powerful leader. Many people fell behind him in support, disillusioned by the violence that had been caused by the revolution."
As he lectures, Mr. Jensen roams around the classroom. Half of the class is barely awake, only looking interested when he walks by, but my eyes are wide open, and my head rests against my fist. I had always found history fascinating, and Mr. Jensen told it like it was a story. I never had to fight sleep in his class.
"But he gained a lot of power in very little time. Although he made a lot of domestic reforms that were beneficial to France, he started to consolidate power for himself. Eventually, Napoleon crowned himself Emperor in 1804, which ended the First French Republic. Using this new source of power, Napoleon quickly launched the Napoleonic Wars to take more territory in Europe. This ultimately ended with Napoleon conquering Austria, Prussia, the Holy Roman Empire, Italy, Portugal, and Spain."
Mr. Jensen stops in front of me. "As I hinted at earlier this week, Napoleon reminds me of another individual that is in power right now. Which is why I think Denmark needs to be more wary of Germany. Hitler has already proved to be ambitious with his invasions of Poland, Austria, and Czechoslovakia. I wouldn't be surprised if his ambitions were not above invading Denmark."
That got people's attention. At this comment, everyone who was half asleep before was sitting up straight with their eyes widened, clearly alarmed at the thought of Denmark being invaded. Mr. Jensen just smirked. He knew how to get students to listen to him.
He waves his hand. "I'm sure the war will be over soon, though. Besides, there is not a big enough reason for Germany to divert military forces to take over a country like Denmark. Denmark poses no significant threat, and we managed to stay neutral in the last big war."
The bell rings for lunch, and everybody sighs in relief.
"Don't forget that we have an exam on Monday! Make sure to start studying," Mr. Jensen reminds us.
A collective groan sounds from the class as everyone picks up their books and begins shuffling towards the door. I'm about to stand up from my desk when Elias Norgaard stands in front of me.
"Hi, Ana," he greets me.
"Hello Elias," I say cautiously.
"I was just wondering if you're doing anything tomorrow."
At those words, I start to panic. Was he trying to ask me out on a date? Alarms start going off in my head, but I remember what I promised Macy this morning.
"I'm taking my sister to Tivoli Gardens tomorrow for her birthday."
"Oh, okay. Well, maybe another time?" he wonders, looking disappointed with my answer.
"Sure." Sending him a tight-lipped smile, I then duck out of the classroom to find Frances and Eva waiting for me in the hallway.
Frances roars with laughter. "That was the most painful thing I've ever watched!"
I throw my hands up. "I didn't know what to do! I don't think I like him like that."
"Well, I don't think he got that message," Eva remarks.
Pulling my books to my forehead, I groan as they tease me. They try to make me feel better by asking if I want to go to the cafe up the street for lunch.
"No, I can't. I have to go pick up a cake for my sister's birthday."
"What bakery is it?" Frances asks.
"The bakery on Grønnegade street."
She perks up at this. "The bakery on Grønnegade street? Oh gentle Moses, that place is to die for."
"Maybe I'll sneak you a piece if you stop teasing me about Elias Norgaard."
"Who's Elias Norgaard? I've never heard of that name before in my life."
I roll my eyes and climb my bicycle. After saying goodbye to them, I head off down the road. Peddling down Norre Voldgade and then Gothersgade, it only takes me about ten minutes to get to the bakery. Bright blue with a striped overhang, a yellow door, and black paneling on the windows, the bakery stands out from the rest of the buildings on the street. A cursive sign hangs on the building that reads Twin Treats. A bell rings when I enter the shop to alert the owner of my presence. A middle-aged man with salt-and-pepper gray hair comes out from the back.
"What can I do for you today?"
"I'm here to pick up a cake that my mother ordered."
"What's the name?"
"Clemensen."
He smiles and goes into the back for a few minutes. I take the time to look around the bakery and note that it's just as cute inside as it outside. The walls are a light cream-color and green decoration lines the ceiling. I walk across the black-and-white tiled floor to the large counter with cases of baked goods on each side. The smell of fresh bread reaches my nose and makes my stomach grumble. The man, whom I guess is the baker, eventually comes out with a beautiful cake that is covered in white icing and perfectly topped with raspberries. He asks if it's satisfactory, and I shake my head vigorously, my mouth watering just at the sight of it. He puts it in a box and offers to carry it outside for me.
I'm about to open the door to walk outside when it swings open on its own and catches me in the shoulder, knocking me down and causing me to hit my head only the floor.
"Oh no, I am so, so, so sorry! I didn't know you were there!"
I look up to the owner of the voice to see it is about a boy my age. With dark curly hair, sea-green eyes, and a pair of round-framed glasses that sit on the bridge of his nose, he might be the cutest boy that I've ever seen. He's taller than Elias Norgaard, and his broad shoulders make him even more dreamy. His thick eyebrows are raised, and his mouth is agape as if he's mortified.
"Are you okay?"
Realizing that he is speaking to me, I quickly shake myself out of my thoughts. He reaches his hand out to me and pulls me off the floor. I stumble a little bit while I get up. Pain shoots through my head and dark-spots cloud my vision. He places his hands on my shoulders to keep me from falling again.
"I'm fine. Don't worry about it," I insist. The dizziness wears off slightly, and my eyesight clears. A faint pain still thumps in my head. My cheeks burn when I see his eyes glide down my body as if they're checking for injuries. I become aware of the fact that I'm basically in his arms and try to take take a step back.
From behind me, the baker exclaims, "Jacob, you almost flattened the poor girl! I told you that you need to be more careful about rushing into places."
"Yes, father," he answers sheepishly.
"Take this cake out for her and make sure she doesn't have a concussion. Ms. Clemensen, I'm so sorry for my son hitting you with the door."
I send him a reassuring smile and say, "It's completely okay, don't worry about it. It was an accident."
Taking the cake, the baker's son, whose name is apparently Jacob, opens the door and allows me to walk out first. The cake box barely fits in the basket of my bicycle, but somehow we make it work. I'm about to leave when he stops me.
"Are you sure that you're okay to ride home?" he asks with concern in his voice. His eyes look directly into mine, and I can see the specks of hazel in them. My stomach ties up into knots when I notice that he has dimples on either side of his mouth. Could he be any cuter?
I mentally kick myself for getting distracted again. "I think so. My mother is a nurse so she can check me out later. Besides, I need to get back to school."
"Oh, where do you go to school?"
"N. Zahle's Gymnasium."
He points to himself and says, "University of Copenhagen."
Ah, so he was a few years older than me.
"My father is a professor of physics and mathematics there."
Looking impressed, he reaches his hand forward and takes a step closer to me.
"Jacob Koenig."
I reach my hand forward and shake his. "Ana Clemensen."
He smiles at me and withdraws his hand from mine, shoving both of them in his pockets. He rocks forward on his feet and wets his lips before saying, "I'm still really sorry for knocking you down. To make up for it, you should swing by the bakery again sometime. I can sneak you a few treats."
I cross my arms and pretend to think about it for a few seconds. I step forward a couple of inches and push myself onto my tip-toes to become almost eye level with him.
"Hmmm. I might have to take you up on that."
Grinning, he responds, "Anything for a pretty girl that I almost injured."
I blush and duck my head down, so I don't embarrass myself even more in front of him. I then give him a genuine smile, and my heart skips a beat when he reciprocates. I turn around and climb on my bicycle. In a daze, I manage to make it home and back to school in less than twenty minutes. I'm still smiling when I sit down in physics class. Frances catches it immediately and hits Eva in the arm to get her attention.
"Eva, is our girl smiling for once?"
"I can't believe my eyes."
"What happened to Ana Clemensen to make her so happy?" Frances asks.
I'm about to tell her about what happened at the bakery when our physics teacher walks into the room, and the bell rings.
"I'll tell you guys later, I promise."
I don't pay attention to any of my classes for the rest of the day. Instead, I focus my thoughts on a pair of green eyes as I wonder when I will get to see them again.